Date: Fri, 22 Oct 2010 10:52:13 -0400 (EDT)
From: alexxxapathy@aim.com
Subject: Beach Boys - Chapter Eight

By the time his mother finally arrived back home, we'd been lounging on the
couch together watching cartoons for almost two hours. After the stresses
of the past few days, just lying there in Jamie's arms was a
more-than-welcome reprieve. It never ceased to amaze me how warm I'd get
when I was snuggled into him, though I suppose it didn't hurt that he'd
given me his favorite pair of flannel pyjama pants and a long tee to wear,
either. The two of us exploded into motion the moment we heard the doorknob
move, not wanting to be caught by his very conservative mother. We bounced
onto opposite sides of the couhc, just in the knick of time.

"Oh, hello Alex", his mother beamed as she entered the house, "I hadn't
known we'd be having guests tonight." She mock-glared in Jamie's direction.

"Well sorryyyyy", he groaned, "We kind of decided to hangout last minute,
when our practices got cancled."

"I don't know why I bother paying your cell phone bill", his mother joked,
"it's not as though you'll ever call home." Then she turned to me. "Well
I'm sorry for son's irresponsible behavior Alex. Would you like to stay for
dinner? It won't be anything fancy."

I laughed. "Sure ma'am, I'd love to!" Dinner with the family, I couldn't
help but relish in the irony of the situation.

After inviting me to stay for dinner, Jamie's mother sent us both upstairs
to wash up. Not needing a second invitation, we happily obliged, and shot
up the stairs giggling. The moment we got into Jamie's bathroom he quickly
locked the door and turned to face me, his entire beautiful face
practically consumed by an impish, mischievious smile.

"I don't suppose you've ever bathed with anyone before?" he asked in the
most innocent-sounding tone he could muster.

I could feel my cheeks flush. "Can't say I have", I replied, giggling.
"Care to be the first?" He was all too eager.

With that he moved toward me with the grace you'd expect of a professional
dancer, leaning in to plant a quick, soft peck on my lips before pulling my
shirt up and off of my body. I shivered with the sudden rush of coolness,
and smiled just a little despite myself. Jamie, on the otherhand, was
frowning.

"Oh Alex.. you have so many brusises and cuts", he said, his entire being
suddenly much more sincere.

"I know", I muttered sheepishly, eyes suddenly directed toward the
floor. Letting Jackson hurt me was one thing. He could abuse me and throw
me around all day long, and as much as it would hurt, I'd still be able to
take solace in Jamie. But seeing the pain that was so clearly reflected in
his eyes was something else entirely; something, in my opinion, that was
much more difficult to endure. Suddenly, my thoughts were broken by the
soft, quiet sounds of Jamie sobbing.

"You shouldn't have to deal with that you know", he practically whispered
through his tears as he moved to embrace me. "It's not right Alex, you
don't deserve it. He's your daddy, he's supposed to love you." For the
hundreth time that week, my heart was melted by his sweetness. I hated to
seeing him cry, especially on my account. Jamie's face was far too pure and
beautiful to be marred by tears.

"It's.. it's okay Jamie. As long as he doesn't hurt my mom.. as long as he
provides for us and doesn't do anything to her.. or you.... he can do
whatever he likes", I mumbled, my gaze still fixed upon my two tiny feet.

Jamie shook his head. "No Alex, you're wrong. You're worth more than that,
so much more", he protested. The way he spoke, so honestly and with such
sincere compassion, it made me feel warm and cold all at once. If I was
Jamie's, then maybe I might actually be worth something after all. I opened
my mouth to speak, but nothing came out, so I just squeezed him a little
tighter despite the pain in my ribs, eliminating any last bit of space that
kept us apart.

"I'm sorry Jamie, please don't cry. It'll get better someday, and I have
you. You're everything I need, everything I could ever want. I.. I love you
so fucking much. If you knew how long I've wanted to be your's, and now I
finally am", I was rambling, but I didn't care. Jamie had finally regained
his composure, so it was more than worth it. "Don't cry for me, my dreams
have all come true!" I laughed, though I could feel tears forming behind my
eyes. He was smiling again, that lovely bright smile.

Finally we pulled apart from one another. "Well, do you think I could give
you a bath, Mr. Dreamer?" he asked, all smiles. How could I possibly refuse
that? With a smile and a meek nod I accepted his offer, and we began
running the bathwater.

Within a few minutes the tub was full, and I was soaking nude in the warm
steamy water while Jamie sat shirtless outside the tub. It was liberating
being able to sit so exposed in front of another, yet have such trust and
affection between us that I could feel completely at ease. There wasn't any
speaking going on between us, but we'd long since reached a level of
comfort with one another that negated the necessity for constant
conversation. There were no awkward silences anymore, just pleasant
ones. Sometimes actions really did speak louder than words, as cliche as it
sounds. And Jamie was certainly doing his best to hold true to that adage.

While I allowed myself to soften in the warm water Jamie took a wash cloth
and began slowly washing the bony peaks of my shoulders and neck, the only
parts of me that weren't submerged. The feeling was heavenly. After a few
more moments of gently washing me, he finally broke the silence.

"Do you.. want a massage?" I smiled and nodded my head.

Needing no further prompting, he went to work. I didn't have any means for
comparison, but to all my knowledge, Jamie was the single greatest massuer
the world had to offer. He started at my shoulders, squeezing with just the
right amount of force and moving up to my neck, just to slowly work his way
down to my back. Inch by inch he rubbed away every bit of tension I had in
me. It was amazing that he could be forceful enough to obliterate all the
knots yet gentle enough not to cause me pain in any of the spots Jackson
damaged. By the end of the massage I was nearly asleep; it was just so
relaxing.

"If you sink any lower you'll drown," he teased, and it was only then that
I realized that I'd been slipping into the tub. I blushed.

"Well sorryyyy. I'm just so relaxed," I started, before realizing that I'd
been selfish. "But what about you babe?"

He smiled. "Please, that was soothing for me too, Alex. I like making you
feel better."

"I still feel bad", I whined, "If you want I can relieve your tension." I
never was that great at innuendo; we both giggled.

"Baby, you're exhausted. What do you say we just take a nap before dinner?

I just smiled and nodded. I had the most generous, considerate, amazing
boyfriend in the world. I thought of how any other boy would've takent he
opportunity to get off. Any other boy wouldn't have bothered drawing me a
bath, washing me, massaging me; and all without any bartering. Jamie didn't
care for me because he wanted anything in return. He cared for me simply
because he loved me, genuinely, and that's what love was. It wasn't in the
sex or the kisses, wasn't in the smiles or words. It was just about giving,
without any expectation of reward, because giving love was it's own reward.

As we cuddled up together, wrapped in pyjama pants and a warm blanket, I
realized something. This whole time I'd always known that I loved Jamie,
but this was the first moment that I truly felt that we were in love, heart
and soul. There was something about the way he pulled me into his chest.
The way he protected and cared for me. The way his eyes twinkled, so
sincerely, when he said those three words.

This wasn't a crush; this was real. And while we only managed an hour's
worth of sleep before his mother called us down for dinner, I will say
this; I have never, in all my life, found deeper peace in sleep than I did
that night.